Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to wireless digital communication and more specifically to a system and method for broadcasting messages to nodes within a wireless mesh network.
Description of the Related Art
A conventional wireless mesh network includes a plurality of nodes configured to communicate with one another. A given node within the wireless mesh network may transmit messages to, and receive messages from, neighboring nodes in order to propagate those messages across the entire network. In some situations, an important message must be sent across the wireless mesh network to the different nodes in as little time as possible. To facilitate the delivery of important messages, conventional nodes are configured to periodically tune in to a specific channel that is reserved for the transmission of these important messages.
However, one problem with this technique is that situations requiring the transmission of important messages are quite rare, and so tuning in to the reserved channel is often unnecessary. Further, when a node tunes in to the reserved channel, that node cannot receive other messages (i.e. messages transmitted on non-reserved channels), and so the overall throughput of the wireless mesh network is periodically slowed.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is an improved technique for broadcasting messages across a wireless mesh network.